There is a slight bias with the Salewa Mountain Trainer Mid towards prioritising performance away from the valley and onto rockier mountain walks and scrambles. It weighs in at just 1488g (pair, size 11), which is remarkable for its performance. The boot has a synthetic and suede leather upper with lacing that extends further toward the toe than in many boots. This lacing, combined with the neat toe profile, gives the boot a more precise feel when scrambling than some more walking-orientated designs. There is good support throughout the upper, which again makes it ideal for those rockier hill trips; and the heel cup is particularly supportive. The Salewa Mountain Trainer Mid has a full rubber rand, for anyone doing lots of scrambling. The sole is again biased toward the scrambler with a smooth climbing zone under the toe and a very precise feel in this area. The rest of the lugs are slightly less aggressive than more walking-orientated designs, again better for scree and rock rather than mud and grass. Stiffness in the sole is superb for rocky ground, being stiffer than most boots featured here, both toe to heel and laterally across the foot. Once you get used to it the Salewa Mountain Trainer Mid feels fine for walking, but other more walking-orientated boots are softer on the foot.

The Salewa Mountain Trainer Mid is a superb lightweight scrambling and mountain walking boot where performance on rock is the priority; but when backpacking or general hillwalking, other boots have advantages.